To cut engineering resources and improve time to market, Analog Devices (News - Alert), Inc.has collaborated with industry leading programmable-logic supplier Xilinx Inc. to create a radio architecture development platform for multi-carrier cellular base station manufacturers.In this scheme, ADI’s mixed-signal digital pre-distortion (MS-DPD) algorithm runs on Xilinx’s (News - Alert) field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) to simplify wireless infrastructure system design.

Here, ADI’s MS-DPD platform incorporates a high-performance RF and mixed-signal transmit and observation receiver chain, supporting 2G, 3G and emerging 4G wireless protocols. Xilinx’s Virtex-6 FPGA ML605 evaluation kit connects to the MS-DPD board through an industry-standard VITA-57 FMC connector. Using this system, developers can utilize the FPGA to implement required radio algorithms leveraging the ADI signal chain available on the MS-DPD.

Martin Cotter, ADI’s segment director for Communications Infrastructure, said in a statement, “In collaboration with Xilinx, customers now have everything needed to demonstrate the transmit section of a base station radio.” He added, “ADI has combined high performance transceiver components into a single development platform for speeding the evaluation of critical DPD algorithms running on Xilinx’s Virtex-6 ML605 evaluation kit. The MS-DPD platform allows our customers to focus on differentiating their DPD algorithm from their competitors’ solutions.”

With the highest dynamic performance in its class, the multi-carrier MS-DPD development platform simplifies component selection and board layout to make it easier for designers of multi-carrier GSM and multi-standard software-defined radio (SDR) base stations to develop FPGA-based DPD algorithms, ADI said. FPGAs also provide the flexibility to optimize the solution that competing fixed-function application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) cannot, while providing a highly integrated, low cost, low power and high reliability solution to present day base station needs, the developers stated.

Manuel Uhm, Xilinx’s director for Wireless Communications Business also said, “In collaborating with Analog Devices, we have been able to create a more modular approach to radio development, leveraging the new industry-standard FMC connectors.” “Customers are able to rapidly evaluate Xilinx’s crest factor reduction (CFR) and DPD algorithms in conjunction with ADI’s high-performance transmitter solutions, saving considerable engineering time,” noted Uhm.

Furthermore, designers can leverage the Virtex-6 ML605 FPGA evaluation kit and MS-DPD to develop and evaluate their own IP.

ADI’s MS-DPD development board includes more than 12 RF and mixed-signal components, including the recently announced AD9122 1.2-GSPS digital-to-analog converter and ADL5375 quadrature modulator, in addition to amplifiers, mixers, clock ICs, power management ICs, and phase-locked-loop circuits. The observation path includes the AD9230 12-bit, 250-MSPS analog-to-digital converter to maximize the bandwidth available for DPD.

MS-DPD development boards are available to qualified customers from ADI for $3,995 each. The Virtex-6 FPGA ML605 evaluation kit is also available from Xilinx for a price tag (News - Alert) of $1,995.